May 03, 2007
Hundreds of people marched in Midtown Thursday evening, calling for decency in music.
The march was led by the Reverend Al Sharpton and the children of the late James Brown.
On the Godfather of Soul’s birthday, protesters called on the music industry to put a code of conduct in place for lyrics, to eliminate sexist, racist, and homophobic language.
“The message is that we want to call on three words: nigger, ho, and bitch to be removed from records,” said Sharpton. “Just like you can’t make records against gays, you can’t make records against Italians or Jews, why do we allow those records?”
“As a female, I feel like I’m being disrespected,” said another protester. “Every other song I’m being called the H-word or the B-word, and as a black woman, I’m being called the N-word. So today is very important; it’s crucial for us in the community.”
The march kicked off in front of Sony Music's Midtown office, continued to Warner Music, and Universal, and then protesters ended with a rally at Columbus Circle in front of Time Warner, the parent company of NY1.
"I’m not totally against the B-word, the N-word, because I understand where they’re coming from,” said a third protester. “But we as a people got to get to the next level somehow and someway.”
“Well we want to stop all of this negative press that the rap industry has been sending out, and try to re-erect ourselves” said another rally attendee.
In a statement, Time Warner says it has no ownership part in Warner Music. As for Universal Music Group, it put out a statement saying that artists have a right to express themselves, even if it doesn’t appeal to all listeners. The company also says it puts warning labels on its music and complies with broadcast standards, as well.
The rally comes on the heels of the major uproar against shock jock Don Imus' remarks against the Rutgers women’s basketball team. After days of protest and ad buyer pulling off his show, Imus was fired by CBS.
Source : http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=69361
Hundreds of people marched in Midtown Thursday evening, calling for decency in music.
The march was led by the Reverend Al Sharpton and the children of the late James Brown.
On the Godfather of Soul’s birthday, protesters called on the music industry to put a code of conduct in place for lyrics, to eliminate sexist, racist, and homophobic language.
“The message is that we want to call on three words: nigger, ho, and bitch to be removed from records,” said Sharpton. “Just like you can’t make records against gays, you can’t make records against Italians or Jews, why do we allow those records?”
“As a female, I feel like I’m being disrespected,” said another protester. “Every other song I’m being called the H-word or the B-word, and as a black woman, I’m being called the N-word. So today is very important; it’s crucial for us in the community.”
The march kicked off in front of Sony Music's Midtown office, continued to Warner Music, and Universal, and then protesters ended with a rally at Columbus Circle in front of Time Warner, the parent company of NY1.
"I’m not totally against the B-word, the N-word, because I understand where they’re coming from,” said a third protester. “But we as a people got to get to the next level somehow and someway.”
“Well we want to stop all of this negative press that the rap industry has been sending out, and try to re-erect ourselves” said another rally attendee.
In a statement, Time Warner says it has no ownership part in Warner Music. As for Universal Music Group, it put out a statement saying that artists have a right to express themselves, even if it doesn’t appeal to all listeners. The company also says it puts warning labels on its music and complies with broadcast standards, as well.
The rally comes on the heels of the major uproar against shock jock Don Imus' remarks against the Rutgers women’s basketball team. After days of protest and ad buyer pulling off his show, Imus was fired by CBS.
Source : http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=69361
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